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Tektronix XP214M X Terminal (1994) is supported by XpressWare 6.3 (1993)

by Steven M Jones

I recently picked up a Tektronix XP214M - a MIPS-based, monochrome X terminal from late 1994. I thought I was going to need XPressWare 7 or later, but I haven't been able to turn up anything like that except the 8.1 patches shared on this list a couple years ago (thanks Doc!). And something about the fragments I pulled out of that wasn't working... XpressWare 6.3 is available on Bitsavers (thanks Al!), but appears to date from October 1993. I thought that would be a non-starter, since it predated the announcement of the XP214 by a year. But the v8 docs, and NC Bridge docs from after NCD bought the Tek X terminal line, indicated the binaries for the XP350 were used for the XP200 models, and the terminal was loading the v8.1 "os.350" successfully, it just died later in the boot process... So I tried booting the terminal from the 6.3 tree, and it worked the first time. It may be possible to tease out what's missing or incorrectly placed from the v8.1 patch files, but I'm more concerned with getting something running where the X networking hasn't been neutered... FYI, --Steve.

1 year, 2 months

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NSA releases copy of internal lecture delivered by computing giant Rear Adm. Grace Hopper

by Christian Liendo

https://www.nsa.gov/Press-Room/Press-Releases-Statements/Press-Release-View… FORT MEADE, Md. — In one of the more unique public proactive transparency record releases for the National Security Agency (NSA) to date, NSA has released a digital copy of a lecture that then-Capt. Grace Hopper gave agency employees on August 19, 1982. The lecture, “Future Possibilities: Data, Hardware, Software, and People,” features Capt. Hopper discussing some of the potential future challenges of protecting information. She also provided valuable insight on leadership and her experiences breaking barriers in the fields of computer science and mathematics. Rear Adm. Hopper was an American computer scientist, mathematician, and United States Navy rear admiral. One of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, she was a pioneer of computer programming. Hopper was the first to devise the theory of machine-independent programming languages, and the FLOW-MATIC programming language she created using this theory was later extended to create COBOL, an early high-level programming language still in use today. In 2016, President Obama posthumously awarded Rear Adm. Hopper the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the Nation’s highest civilian honor, awarded to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interest of the U.S. — for her remarkable influence on the field of computer science. While NSA did not possess the equipment required to access the footage from the media format in which it was preserved, NSA deemed the footage to be of significant public interest and requested assistance from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to retrieve the footage. NARA’s Special Media Department was able to retrieve the footage contained on two 1’ APEX tapes and transferred the footage to NSA to be reviewed for public release. NSA recognizes Rear Adm. Hopper’s significant contributions as a trailblazing computer scientist and mathematician, but also as a leader. "The most important thing I've accomplished, other than building the compiler, is training young people," Rear Adm. Hopper once said. “They come to me, you know, and say, 'Do you think we can do this?' I say, 'Try it.' And I back 'em up. They need that. I keep track of them as they get older and I stir 'em up at intervals so they don't forget to take chances."

1 year, 2 months

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VT + Other Terminals - UK - Facebook

by dave.g4ugm＠gmail.com

Folks, Some one in Solihull in the UK has a few terminals, including a VT420, for sale on Facebook UK. They appear to be complete with keyboards but otherwise as-seen. Sadly they are in a private group so you will need to join Facebook and the group to see them. https://www.facebook.com/groups/vintagecomputerswapmeet/posts/81591725341583 87/ but if you don't want to do this and are interested contact me off list.. Dave G4UGM

1 year, 2 months

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Tektronix XD88 information/advice sought

by CJ Reha

Hi folks - I come humbly seeking help in regards to bringing up a strange and quite rare Tektronix workstation from the late 80s/early 90s. TEXT WALL WARNING! For the uninitiated, the XD88 was Tek's final attempt at penetrating the graphics workstation market before ultimately giving up and exclusively selling X terminals. They are Motorola 88k-based machines running UTek V, Tek's inhouse SVR3 port. The tower machines are quite interesting in that the "compute" and "graphics engine" sides are modular, technically independent, and can be run standalone or stacked together for more compute/graphics power depending on the customer's needs. They are also the only machines I have ever seen that use the IEEE 896 "Futurebus," and although I could ramble for much longer, I should get to the point... The VCF museum in New Jersey has an XD88/30 on permanent loan along with its accompanying monitor, intact with original disks, but unfortunately no peripherals. Over the past year or so I've slowly worked to restore it to functionality and I have finally hit a roadblock I'm not sure I can figure out alone. We were able to slurp an intact copy of UTek V off the original hard drive before it failed, and after some power supply maintenance were able to actually boot the machine off a SCSI emulator. It appears the hardware itself is fully functional as the machine passes all diagnostics and we are even able to navigate the filesystem over serial console. But not having a keyboard means the system will not start X or do anything graphical, as it assumes it is an XD88/01 headless machine. We acquired a keyboard -- at moderate expense, they're unfortunately quite desirable to collectors for some reason -- but quickly came to the realization we were missing something else as the connectors were physically incompatible and entirely different pinouts electrically. It turns out, as mentioned in the manuals (available on the Tek wiki), the /30 (and probably /35) machines specifically use an "MIS" module inline with the keyboard to combine inputs with the optional dial box. We do not have this box and the manuals do not elaborate on if the box is "smart"/actually does anything beyond simply combine pinouts. By beeping both sides out and making up a little adapter with DuPont wires, we were able to power up the keyboard and get it receiving data from the computer enough to come out of a "lock-out" mode and start being able to transmit data of its own...but we have not yet figured out how to get the computer to recognize its keyboard and take in data to display on the screen. Without knowing if we're missing any translating logic in the MIS box, we are at a bit of a brick wall. I have some very rough pinout scribblings I can provide to try to make this less confusing, and I haven't totally exhausted adapter combinations to try...but I am putting out a plead for help! If anyone has an XD88, or worked with them in any capacity, I'd absolutely love to talk and compare notes. I threw some images of the system in an Imgur album for those interested: https://imgur.com/a/YFEbijI Once we're able to get the system booted and able to wipe potential PII I would be happy to share the disk image, since I know software for them is basically nonexistent and a handful of the surviving machines were recovered diskless. In general I am working on putting together a public page with my notes and research on the machine to hopefully help anyone who might have one. Any questions and comments are welcome! Take care, CJ R.

1 year, 2 months

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More for VCFMW: DECmates, Pros, rainbows, PDP8, 861-C pwr controllers

by Paul Anderson

More for VCFMW: DECmates, Pro350/380s, rainbows, PDP8, 861-C pwr controllers as is without power cords. Boards, boxes, CPUs, systems, etc I trade for coins! Please contact me off list. Thanks, Paul

1 year, 2 months

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8P8C but width of an RJ-11

by Cameron Kaiser

I'm trying to source a new I/O cable for a Convergent WorkSlate (this one is grody from degenerating plasticizers). It's 8P8C with a little offset snag reminiscent of a DEC MMJ, but it's the width of an RJ-11: while an "RJ-45" Ethernet cable is too wide, a phone handset cord is the right width even though it obviously doesn't have enough connectors. I messed around with filing down a junk Ethernet patch cord but that's just making a mess bigger than the icky cable. I think this is a standard connector, but I'm not sure which? -- ------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ -- Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser(a)floodgap.com -- When in doubt, take a pawn. -- Mission: Impossible ("Crack-Up") ------------

1 year, 2 months

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Norton Utilities on 5.25" floppies

by Van Snyder

I have Norton Utilities on 5.25" floppies. I don't have a drive so I don't know whether they're readable. Send me a PDF for a shipping label for 8"x10"x1" 8oz envelope and they're yours. Van Snyder

1 year, 2 months

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PiDPI-8/I revision question - version 2 - reposted

by Mike Katz

Oscar, I am building a second PiDP-8/I kit that I bought, unassembled, from a gentleman in the UK, a couple of years ago. The circuit board in the kit is labeled Rev 2.2 2016-02-16. You call this the 2016-18 version. This version did not come with the LED spacers or the LED cover bracket and the switches have a much larger front metal piece and have mounting holes in them. Would it make sense for me to buy the LED spacers, LED bracket and possibly the updated PC board for this kit before putting it together? If so how much should I send you? What else would I need to upgrade to go with the newest PCB? If I don't upgrade the PCB, Are there any cuts and jumpers that I should do before assembling the circuit board? What is the correct deposit switch inversion for this board? Will I have any problems running any of the Raspberry Pi versions on this kit (Zero through 5)? I will be benchmarking the new build of the PiDP SIMH software on a bunch of different Pi's so compatibility is an issue. Thank you, Mike P.S. Is there any chance you will be at VCF Midwest this year?

1 year, 2 months

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Re: Free Vintage Computers - Manchester NH area

by Stephen Pereira

All, I have been contacted by an individual who will be taking the entire lot off my hands. Should this deal fall through for some reason, I will re-post my offer. smp - - - Stephen Pereira Bedford, NH 03110 KB1SXE

1 year, 2 months

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PdPI-8/I revision question - version 2 - reposted

by Mike Katz

Oscar, I am building a second PiDP-8/I kit that I bought, unassembled, from a gentleman in the UK, a couple of years ago. The circuit board in the kit is labeled Rev 2.2 2016-02-16. You call this the 2016-18 version. This version did not come with the LED spacers or the LED cover bracket and the switches have a much larger front metal piece and have mounting holes in them. Would it make sense for me to buy the LED spacers, LED bracket and possibly the updated PC board for this kit before putting it together? If so how much should I send you? What else would I need to upgrade to go with the newest PCB? If I don't upgrade the PCB, Are there any cuts and jumpers that I should do before assembling the circuit board? What is the correct deposit switch inversion for this board? Will I have any problems running any of the Raspberry Pi versions on this kit (Zero through 5)? I will be benchmarking the new build of the PiDP SIMH software on a bunch of different Pi's so compatibility is an issue. Thank you, Mike P.S. Is there any chance you will be at VCF Midwest this year?

1 year, 2 months

1
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